Out of the Trench
by Anomaline
Summary: A story of a young man with promising skill as a pilot of the towering mechs in this world.
1. Chapter 1

"Today's test..." a deep voice started, "is for three trainees. We've color-coded their ACs to better identify them, they're equipped with the most basic gear that we've given to most of our past trainees. They'll be facing a convict, one of our own, I'm afraid to say." Several gasps are audible, and a bit of chatter among several people in a dome-like room, barely lit by yellow-glowing lights. "Do not worry, this is one of very few to defect. He will be executed here today, regardless of whether the trainees survive to kill him. The opponent will be in his AC, which I must say, is very well-equipped."

A huge dome-like structure lights up, four bent pillars of steel standing at opposing ends, slowly edging up into a cross-like shape at the top. A green aura-like field slowly grows between them, completing the half-sphere arena. A single hatch opens on one end of the field, rather large, sending a towering golden humanoid machine to the floor. It seems cold, and hard, most likely disengaged. Slung onto its back is a large missile pod, as well as a folded dark grenade launcher. In one hand sits a silver buckler-like shield, and the other holds a brass machinegun. The bulk-packed metal man sits coldly, waiting, and watching.

Three hatches open at the opposing end, releasing three lighter-built objects. As was expected, they each have a different color for their armor. One is blue, one red, and one yellow. One arm holds a laserblade, disengaged at the moment, and the other a simple rifle. They each have a simple missile-launching device, as well as a radar.

In a moment, the large mech at the other end of the arena lights up, red beams slipping through the joints as it begins trudging forward. The other three also activate, a red glow emenating from their joints as well. A volley of machinegun fire, bursting from a machinegun of the large machine, rips into the metal of the red suit, pieces of glowing steel falling from around it. The yellow one shoots off a few volleys from its missile launcher in an attempt to distract, each smacking into the now-engaged blue shield. The blue mech takes to the air, twin red flares following it closely. It fires a single shot from its rifle, ramming into the elbow of the left arm of the bulk-covered machine, which is holding the shield. Sparks fly from the joint, the shield shorting out in a blaze a few moments later, and a missile soon following, which rips the metal arm off of the towering structure with a bang. The bulky metal man changes its attention to the yellow mech, flying backwards into the air as a volley of seemingly endless missiles pours from its back.

The red mech, sparks falling from nearly every part of its mechanical body, collapses backwards onto the ground, growing cold and powerless without getting the slightest change of fighting back. The missiles soon hit their target, the running sun-like mech. Running didn't get it far, sadly, as the missiles quickly fly past one leg and straight into the other, sending the shining mech into the gray floor of the arena on its side, the right leg volleying off the wall and hitting the ground with a thud soon after. The targetted large mech swaps its target a final time, this time pulling the long tube of the grenade launcher beside its head. It takes careful aim on the falling blue mech, but is disrupted by another shot from a rifle. It hits with amazing accuracy, moving down the barrel of the explosive device and ripping it right off the shoulder of the metal being with a loud crackle and explosion, shattering the long, narrow barrel. A second shot rings out while the blue mech begins dashing towards its target, shattering the joint between the other shoulder and the missile pod on the thick mech's back. Having no other choice, the large mech begins firing its machinegun another time, the shots firing with horrible accuracy due to the lack of balance. It does no good, however, as after nearly twenty missed shots, a red beam rips through the center of the bulk-covered mech. The beam slowly fades, a large bang and flame shredding the towering being into two shattered pieces, right down the middle, which fall backwards with random shrapnel and bits of metal.

The blue mech stands, unscathed, three shattered and sparking messes of mechs around it. A crackling radio transmission comes out from it, seemingly a young man of around 20, "...Uh, does that mean I pass?"

---

A deep voice, the same one that spoke of the test before, embodied now by a fairly plump man of fair height, speaks again, in a darker room with a simple desk and another man."To be direct, I was slightly frightened by the results of the test...But, this just means another few chips in the gambling of these corperations. Go ahead, give the pilot of the blue mech-"

Another voice springs out, seeming to be a young man. "His name is Izzy, sir."

"It doesn't matter what his name is."

"I beleive it will become an important name in the future, it's best to learn it now, sir."

"Regardless, give him twenty-thousand to start. The yellow one, he should only be a little shaken up. His test results were satisfactory, give him rights as well, but only five thousand to start."

"Right, sir." the light voice ends, the young man slowly lifting from his chair and walking towards the dark oak door. He smirks at the door as he approaches, wondering how much money went into getting such an expensive material as wood.

"Sir Izzy, might I congradulate you on your spectacular victory." the young man says, roughly an hour later. He has blonde hair, and is wearing a white three-piece suit. He seems very proper, and a higher-up in the corperate sect.

Opposite him, in front of the same blue mechanical being that showed the arena a few new tricks, stands a young, tall man with tan pants and a white t-shirt. Atop his head sits a flowing, but short willow of red hair, accompanied by a brighter red headband. His eyes are illuminated by an azul iris, which shine as he speaks. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without the fine machine you gave me."

"Please, don't be concerned with it. You'll be able to do much more with it as you take on missions for the corperations. They saw your results, and were very pleased, you shouldn't have much trouble getting work."

"Thanks again...What happened to the others, anyway? ...And, the one in the large mech?"

"The man in the yellow mech will also be given a position with us. The one in the red did not pass, however, only sustained minor injuries. He'll be set up for another test since he didn't get much time to perform in this one. The one in the bulked mech, however..." He stops, thinking for a moment. "...You're going to have to fight other ravens in the line of duty. Don't concern yourself with their well-being."

"Uh...right..."

"As for now, you're free to wander around. This sector of the arena will be en-route to the HQ via space-travel for an hour or so. Upon arrival, you'll have full access to the shop and your own garage and hangar with a starting balance of twenty-thousand to modify your mech."

"Twenty...thousand?"

"Yes. Twenty thousand. Your results warrant such a starting allowance."

"Sounds...terrific. Report to debreifing upon arrival, right?"

"Yes. Follow the red arrows from the dock and it should be fine. They indicate different sectors, red leads to breifing and debreifing as well as the mission sector, blue leads to the garages, yellow to the test and shop areas, green to the arena, black to the docks, and orange to the corperate sector."

"What's the corperate sector?"

"It's for long-term arrangements. I'd avoid that area in the start, you won't have trouble finding work for a while."

"I...see. Anything else?"

"No. Dismissed. Be prepared when we disembark." 


	2. Chapter 2

A towering metal entity stands, dark, in a large hangar-like room with several other similar models of mechs. Most of the large plates covering its medium build are lit blue, and several signs of welding are evident on most of them. These are usually unnoticable on the large scale these machines battle on. A hovering silver semi-circular platform hovers at chest-height to the metal man, several men carefully inspecting it, ignorant of their height. The traditional cannon-like standard chassey of the men is installed, as well as fairly thin arms and legs. A surpressed-fire rifle is by its side, as well as the normal radar and missile parts given to new Ravens. Beside it stands a nearly identical yellow machine, however, the mechanics are hard at work in the stead of studying the build. Several smaller platforms hold divisions of welders, each working hard to carefully replace the torn ligiment from the metallic behemoth of a machine. Between its large feet stand a man in pale tan robes, an old and mostly forgotten symbol of martian pilots. His hair lays smoothly, half of the length of his back on his robes.

"That was quite a fall you took back there, is your head all right?" the young voice of Izzy echoes around the hangar from behind the tan man. He turns around to face the red-haired man.

"The name's Izzy, I pilotted the blue AC in the test"

A fairly soft voice comes from the tan one, "Ah, I see, and I'm fine thanks to this magnificent piece of work. My name is Cedric, it's good to meet you. You put on quite a show in the test"

Izzy chuckles a bit before answering. "I was just lucky, being the last person he set his eyes on. You weren't so bad yourself, really"

"If you say so...I can't wait to start work, I've always been a fan of these machines. I look forward to us working together"

Izzy nods, taking a look at the mechanics working on the yellow mech. "They certainly didn't spend a lot on our models...the firepower is lacking a lot, and the defence...Makes you wonder if the red one made it out alive at all"

Cedric nods solemnly, an announcement echoing throughout the hangar soon after. "We'll be arriving at the docks in approximately ten minutes. Please clear the hangar in the case of turbulance and prepare to disembark. That is all"

"I suppose that's our cue to head out and collect our things." Izzy says, beggining to walk away. "I think we share a room, I'll see you there later, after I see to the shop. It was good meeting you."

The large ship drifts slowly towards a closed hexagonal panel, which slowly opens, showing a massive docking station built for a single of the pieces of engineering the ship represents. It holds up to twenty of the mechs, leaving plenty of space for personell and comfort. As it drifts inside, a magnetic field pulls it towards the bottom of the hangar as the panel again seals itself, and air is released to the chamber via massive airlock systems. Several men exit through a main ramp off of the ship, whilst a large front panel to the ship opens to move the ACs to the storage and modification sections of the towering base structure.

A few moments later, Izzy stands, his hair slowly falling back into place from running, in the front of two shining steel elevator doors. His feet are still moving impatiently, the door openning only a crack before he slips his hands into place and forces it the rest of the way open. With a quick tug he pushes out what seems like a businessman and a secretary,  
scattering a few papers from each. "Sorry, in a hurry, gotta go!" He says, hammering on one of the buttons in the elevator. The two give him a disgusted look as the doors separate them.

A few moments later, the door opens again, this time in a hangar several times larger than the one on the ship. Hundreds of the machines line the walls, each divided neatly via letter and number coding. Izzy sprints through several hundred yards before nearly collapsing onto the steel plating next to a desk.

"Uhh, sir, can I help you?" a woman in a grey uniform asks from behind the desk. Still nearly on the ground, the tired man asks, "Where did the ACs that just left the ship go to? You know, the ones from the new trainees"

The woman looks at him, puzzled for a moment, then looks at the monitor. "It says here they're going to the shop grounds. This is the storage hangar. The shop grounds are used for modifying, I'm guessing they expected modifications on the two before arriving here for final touches"

Izzy finishes his job by falling the rest of the way onto the ground, moaning.

A few minutes and several failed attempts to pass out later, Izzy rises from the ground, brushes himself off, and walks away calmly enough that the people who were staring moments ago nearly forgot precisely why they were watching him instead of inspecting their mechs. Descending the elevator a floor, Izzy walks over to the counter of a much smaller hangar. The counters are melded into the wall structure to make them more convinient, and several monitors of the ACs in the shop hangar rest on the walls. Another one of the desk-keepers walks over and takes a look at the man nearby. "You're the new pilot, right? Izzy, of the blue mech over there?" He points.

Izzy nods. "Alright, tell me what I can do with that thing as of now. I'm not exactly happy with its current state"

The shopkeeper points to a monitor next to the counter. It shows a basic model wireframe of an AC, as well as a numeric color-code on the bottom.

"If you're really unhappy with its current state, you can hit the delete button at the bottom to ship all the money into your shop account and sell the parts, then redesign it from scrap.

That's not reccomended, though, as people tend to overspend on certain parts and forget their limited funds"

"I see..." the red-haired man says, drifting over to the monitor. Several other people are occupying similar machines, including Cedric and a few recently-returned ravens that embarked on missions.

After selling the radar and replacing it with a better-equipped head, Izzy settles for upgrading his rifle to a more powerful laser rifle. A few changes in the color also turn it into a black with the larger plates orange, in place of the silver with blue highlights it stood previously. Satisfied, Izzy finishes by hitting the large "Confirm and install" button on the bottom-right of the monitor. He walks towards the door, soon stopped by a group of important-looking people from the Nest. One of them, a woman, in a familiar grey uniform, speaks.

"Izzy, isn't it?" Izzy nods. "Good. We're here about your arena arrangements. You'll be given a position in the arena upon completion of a training exercize tomorrow. This will be a two-on-two match, you'll be paired with Cedric, whom I beleive you've met"

Cedric, overhearing, walks up beside Izzy and listens as well.

"You'll be facing two of our other newer candidates, named Orlic and Claive. Succeed, and you'll each be given a fairly high rank in the G section of the arena"  
The two nodd.

"Tomorrow at nine, be prepared. Your ACs will be transported to the arena grounds inside the Nest at eight to prepare, so finish any modifications by then. We'll see you soon"

Cedric nods and responds as the group turns and begins to leave. "I'm looking forward to it, thank you"

Izzy points his thumb at Cedric, saying merely, "Err, yeah, what he said"

"Oh, by the way..." Izzy continues, turning to the robed one now. "Did you catch our room number? I'm going to head there after I watch a match or two at the Arena"

"Sector L, number 4-02. Remember that"

"Got it."

The glint of shining and towering sheets of metal shines far and wide in the home arena of the Ravens. Two towering machines stand at opposing ends, giving off the normal magnified grunts and screeching of preparation for battle, although coming from different sources than hand-to-hand combat. A thick mist pours from the joints of both as the restraints release, and a towering blue barrier encases them into a dome, trapped to fight to the death. The metal giants lift their weapons, and the battle begins.

A loud bang echoes throughout the arena, followed by the cheering of the fans sitting outside the forcefield in towering rows, like a stadium. Screens from the many microscopic, floating cameras are displayed around the rows to provide many different angles for the fans' enjoyment, and to rake in more customers to pay for the expensive exhibitions.

A four-legged figure bursts from the red explosion, blending in with the steel of the ground in a silver glint. Behind it trails twin blue bursts of flame from two boosters mounted on its thin frame. With a raise of its arm, a red beam appears in its left arm, slowly forming into a blade. Two hatches on its back pop up, and a magnificent purple burst of energy pushes from behind it, hurling it at uncontrollable speeds towards its bulky, tank-like red target. Only a few moments later, it and a green blade meet in mid-air, forcing the silver figure into the air. A long, slender black barrel descends into its left hand as the blade disintigrates. A beaming red object rockets out of it, met by another similar object. The two collide in front of the silver spider-like mech, hurling it faster into the air behind it. The two hatches on its back open once again, taking a moment to collect energy before releasing a powerful beam of propulsion behind it, barely enough to stop a collision against a steel pillar at the edge of the arena, but still leaving a wonderfully large scorched mark on it.

A host of missiles quickly meet their mark at the silver AC's position soon after, however. Three of them hammer into the chest of the AC, one last one ripping a leg off of it before the mech hurls itself back into the air. In its right hand, seven rapid shots fling from a machinegun, each sinking only slightly into the tank-like mech's armor. Another barrage fires off, sinking again into the thick armor of the grounded being, slightly closer to the head, and a third series of bullets soon makes it clear what the target is. One of the bullets hurls towards a fairly thick antenna sticking out of the top, sending it hurling backwards, while another smashes one of two red-tinted glass cameras. The silver entity begins its descent afterwards, hurling with a familiar red blade from its arm.

The tank also powers his green saber up, but the deja-vu of events ends quickly after it ends, the green blade stabbing far too early whilst the spider-like mech lands with blade extended, ripping the extended blade-equipped arm off. Taking a moment to balance due to a missing leg, the silver mech slices at the center of the tank-like being, only to be met by a surprisingly strong bazooka barrel from the right arm of the obviously outclassed core. As the two struggle for their lives, a machinegun falls into place over the bazooka barrel, pointed straight for the damaged head of the nearly-immobile red mech. A series of bullets pour out the back of its head, ending the match fairly quickly.

The fans slowly tunnel out of the stands, leaving only a few people there. Izzy stands in front of the benches for a few moments, watching the two beings frozen in their last position of the battle. A smirk shows on his face as he turns and heads for the exit, done wandering for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Sparks. Thousands of them shower from the roof of an old, square factory warehouse-like room. Two mechs stand at opposing ends of the area, cold and worn. One is a giant of an AC, strong by human standards and fairly thick in every way. On its arms it carries a large laser rifle, on its back a grenade launcher and rockets. The core is built, as well, to hold twosphere-like objects in the back. On the opposing end, a dark red mech, almost like a bloodstain on the cold steel walls, stands. It has a fairly medium build, with a strange-looking yellow object on its left arm, as well as a rifle and several missile pods.

"I guess it had to come to this." the larger one says.

"It seems so."

At this, they both lunge forward, each tailed by red flares of their boosters. In the arm of the large machine, a green laserblade forms,fully and quickly. The red core materializes a shimmering, beautiful blue blade from the machine on its left arm. The shine from it brightens the room, and as the two meet, the blue beam rages in a fire-like fashion as they fling apart.

"I see...It seems that won't work, then." the large mech says, quickly aiming and taking a few large, powerful shots from its laser rifle as the red machine huls towards it again.

Sweat begins dripping from Izzy's face as he sits upwards, in a hurry from his bed. "...Weird..." he mutters, checking the clock before walking into the bathroom of the small living complex. The images flash back in his mind as he sits in the shower, a red machine wih a glorious blue laserblade. Thinking a few moments on what it could mean, he brushes it off and walks out, greeted by Cedric, already prepared and in his normal robes.

"Our match is today. You should probably eat something, we have an hour or two before the match." Cedric says, walking off. "I'll see you at the arena then...I'm going to watch a few matches there."

Izzy nods, and slips on a blue vest before walking outside, down the elevator, and into a metallic cafeteria surrounded in different restaraunts behind counters, several monitors flashing with the highlights of recent arena matchups around the area as well. He nabs a hamburger at one of the stands and takes a seat close to a larger monitor, watching several of the best arena competitors fighting for a while whilst he eats his mediocre breakfast.

"Grenades...would be a great invention, should they be attached to the arms..." he mutters in a random thought, getting up and checking another clock before walking off, back through the elevator, and right back into his bed, pushing a few buttons to re-set the alarm before passing out.

"It's time..." one of the loud announcers begins, "For the newest recruits to face off against eachother, in a display of skill and power! Who will be the next eye candy of the rookie-watchers? It all lies in this one match, which we can only wait to find who will win."

The familiar dome is prepared, the blue fields filling the area as fans cheer from behind them. Four hatches open throughout the arena, giving way to four similar ACs, the basic form with minor modifications. Izzy holds an AC with a black and orange coloring, as well as a laser rifle and the normal missiles. Cedric has an all-blue design, complete with several different shades of the color, and a machinegun in his arm. The other two have matching green and white patterns, one bulked up slightly with a shotgun, and the other holding only a single weapon; a towering grenade launcher on its back, as well as its laserblade.

The joints of all of the machines slowly fill with a red light as they begin their battle. As soon as the match begins, one of the white ones crouches and begins aiming at Izzy, while the other instinctively fires off the overboost, hurling it with a purple fire from its back towards the same opponent. A crackle sound fills the air as one of the grenade rounds flies towards Izzy.

Izzy lifts from the ground in a rapid jump, soon followed by the release of an overboost, flinging him right over the approaching round, and machine. Cedric soon joins by his side as they charge towards the grenade-firing sniper. Several rounds hurl from Cedric's bronze machinegun, sending sparks flying from the white enemy, who quickly jumps into the air and begins flying as far upwards as he can.

"Chase that guy down, I'll deal with the other one." Izzy says into the mic in his cockpit. Cedric takes to the air soon after, firing rounds all the way up. Izzy hurls into the air slightly, spinning around in a blaze of booster fire before firing several rounds from his rifle. Two hit the ground behind the quickly approaching target, while another rams into the thick mechanical foot, flinging the being off-balance for a moment, two more rounds forcing the shotgun out of its hand. In response, the white mech engages its blade and boosts quickly towards the black mechanical man. In response, Izzy pulls backwards, boosting to hasten this, and fires a single random round into the air.

The battle quickly takes to melee, as Izzy and the white machine swing twin red, shimmering blades at eachother. Waves of energy and waves of cheers fill the arena as an intense bladematch occurs, occasionally flung off balance by a shot from the laser rifle, usually deflected by the white mech's red beam. In a split second, though, all that's left of the white machines is a smoldering pile, the white machine falling like a comet, followed by a hail of machinegun fire.

"You have amazing aim..." Cedric says over the intercom. "Knocked his boosters right out with that shot. I guess that means we won."

"Great work, you two." the arena officer says, extending her hand. "You performed brilliantly, and I want to congradulate you each with a usual arena prize, only 5000 this time. As you move up the ranks, you'll gain more money."

Izzy shakes her hand, noting the money is probably already in his account. He walks past her afterwards, giving a very breif bow. Cedric shakes her hand as well, and walks off in a different direction. Another elevator trip and hallway later, Izzy arrives at the mission sector, recalling that he never reported for his debreifing some time ago in the same area. He takes a look at several large screens, detailing information from corperate income to controlled areas, warzones, and finally the jobs available for ravens. One of them catches his eye, simply titled "Assassin needed".

Reading down through the breifing, he notes the hiring corperation is named Guardia, and the mission is a highly classified assassination of another corperate executive. It's a fairly time-efficient assassination, the dropoff point near bridge the transport will be passing just before a tunnel. It also states no deductions will be taken off for destruction, due to the neutral stance of the area in question. Izzy smirks, and signs his name with one of the nearby electronic pens onto the monitor, above a signature line. The window closes, saying the detailed information will be sent to his e-mail later, and to deploy in roughly ten hours.

After dropping by the shop to oversee a few repairs and a minor generator upgrade with the prize money, Izzy embarks back to his room to wait for another battle in the towering machine. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Welcome, pilot Izzy," a friendly computerized voice spoke, "Your AC is currently being loaded into a launch capsule. You will be picked up after the mission by a small transport plane. Upon arrival, the AC will power up again and engage the enemy. Would you like to review the mission objectives during the flight?"

"No, I'm aware of them already." Izzy says.

"I see. Launching sequence has begun, please be careful and remain in your seated position."

A slight rumbling shakes the AC as the now-black screen loads up another arena show for an entertaining ride.

An hour or so later, a thud shakes the mech as the door of the pill-like launching vehicle pops off, the simple metallic structure slamming into the ground. The screen goes blank for a moment, then returns to the monitor. A red ground greets the pilot, a concrete bridge ahead of him, and a towering unnatural rock wall behind him, with a small tunnel leading into it. Zooming a few times, the target is spotted, along with a surprising escort.

"Dammit, they didn't tell me there would be AC conflict in this mission." Izzy says, slamming his fist into the keyboard.

"Two ACs are with the target. They've been identified, would you like to view their specs?" the computer asks, politely, as always.

"Yes."

Two screens pop up to the right and left of Izzy. He looks to the left, noting the large build and powerful weaponry of the golden-blue metal humanoid, as well as the fairly high pilot ranking. Looking to his right, he spots a complete inconsistancy. The AC is using a near-basic model with a very poor piloting ability present. He shrugs, and takes a more detailed look at his screen.

"If I had more explosives I could rip apart the bridge. I suppose charging is a horrible idea, but..."

Two hatches open from the back of the black core of Izzy's mech. A familiar purple flame begins to trickle out, growing exponentially until the force blasts the machine half of the length of the bridge, just out of sight range of the two mechs.

"Duel mode set. Shutting down computer aide."

The two info screens on the ACs blank out from the cockpit, leaving only two more monitors to the sides of the mech, giving a complete hundred-and-eighty degree view. The FCS engages as soon as the zoom disengages, making a large red box onto the screen, with a smaller green one as it locks onto the basic AC.

Outside the cockpit, the orange sheets of metal shining from Izzy's AC stops both mechs as they attempt to identify the strange blob on their screen in the dark Mars night. Three shining bolts of energy slam into the silvery basic model, one on each arm and one straight into the core. This causes an involuntary drop of the rifle in the right hand of the mech, whilst the pilot quickly realizes what's going on. Before long, two red bursts of flame grow closer, and a large red beam lances into the core of the machine, dissipating moments afterwards. Lightning seems to ripple across the surface of the metal man, the whole structure collapsing into flames soon after. The unbalanced machine falls backwards, doing several flips on its way into the ravine below the bridge.

The huge metal foot of Izzy's mech pins the transport vehicle against the cement of the bridge, raising its energy rifle towards the larger mech, which raises the grenade launcher attached to its arm in response, the long tube stretching past the shoulder of the black machine. In a surprising manuever, the grenade launcher slams against the head of Izzy's AC, pushing it towards the edge of the bridge. Izzy responds with his boosters, forcing the AC into an unbalanced takeoff, slightly spinning as it flies off the side of the bridge. Three missiles fire off in rapid succession from the black glob, spiralling towards their target in a vortex of white smoke. The imbalance they cause is enough for Izzy to get three precise rifle shots off at the launching mechanism in the grenade launcher, neutralizing it. The large machine takes to the air afterwards, a rippling green energy blade appearing by its side. Izzy responds with his own red blade, and the two soon meet in the darkness.

A slow battle begins, the two machines spiralling in the air before a series of quick jabs leaves Izzy pinned against the side of the bridge. If these metallic beings could grin, the blue-and-gold machine would show one at this moment of glory. In a quick movement, he pulls a second grenade launcher down with his left hand and places it against the head of Izzy's machine, the red blade still shining from the black structure.

"You can't escape." a deep voice says over the intercom.

Izzy makes a slight chuckle, then shouting, "You can't think, then, I guess."

In another quick manuever, Izzy slides his blade across the left side of the golden machine. Slowly, the grenade launcher's barrel and most of the left arm slip into the ravine below, the edges still red from the blade's passing.

"You're defeated." Izzy states simply, sliding up past the other mech and landing softly on the bridge next to the smashed transport. "You have no more weapons. My objective is complete, as well."

"A transport will arrive in roughly ten minutes to return you to base. Good work." the computer says. Moments later, a powerful shock forces the black machine to its knees.

"It's only a flesh wound! I can still fight!" the now angry voice of the gold-and-blue humanoid says. It rams the barrel of his right arm's grenade launcher against Izzy's back again.

"You don't give up, do you?"

With that, Izzy does a quick flip with his boosters, drifting only feet above the bridge as he fires off three rounds at the right shoulder of the mech, ripping it of as well.

"If you give up now, you probably won't have to pay as much for repairs." Izzy says.

"I can still fight! Come on, you panzy!" it says, stepping forward. The black machine rises to its feet and sends a quick slash across both the legs of the royal-colored large mech.

"Goddammit, fight me like a man!" the still-upright remains of the mech says.

"Such a bother, you are..." Izzy says, kicking the sparking mess of a machine off the side of the bridge, the loud roar of the transport plane's engines coming into audible distance. 


	5. Chapter 5

"So, he's doing well, I take it?" A deep voice asks in a cold, white-toned room.

A familiar young voice answers. "Indeed. Passed the arena test with amazing results, and demolished two ACs in his first mission as well."

"I expected he'd be quite a raven. The higher-ups in the arena won't look idly too much longer."

"We'll see what happens, I suppose."

"Indeed."

A thick, black smoke seeps through the empty space of the arena, slipping off against the dome-shaped forcefields surrounding it. Following the gaseous pillar down, a silver quad-legged mech sits in the center of the floor. Across its arms stretch a long, rippling crack in the metal, dividing the traditional symbol of a raven in the sky on the left arm. Its arms are long-barrelled machineguns, looking almost like gattling guns. A warm hum still echoes around the machine, a missile pod shifting up beside the head and openning, immediately sending four of the explosive vessels into the air to chase a rapid black figure.

Shining orange plates give the audience something to watch as they cheer rabidly, watching three of the pods crash into the side of the forcefield and explode in a magnificent display. The other continues chase after a rapid turn by the black machine. The mechanical man stalls in mid-air for a split second before launching at incredible speeds at the silver mech. Heat waves flow out of the back of the machine, the generator seeming ready to explode as a beam of red energy appears in the black AC's left hand.

A loud slicing sound echoes, ripping the right shoulder and attached arm off of the silver quadroped machine. The black mech slides quickly in place, to one side of the silver machine. Orange gleams show across the cockpit of the smaller mech, watching the black behemoth land directly in front of it. An orange glow shines in the tips of the machinegun arms, but is interrupted quickly by a strayed missile, flying into the open metal wound the right arm left as it slid off. Several expensive-sounding explosions later, the entire left arm flies off into the wall, and the rest of the machine falls to the ground in a thump. Izzy's machine is declared the winner of the match, with the worst damage being a bit of burnmarks on the side from sliding across the barriers of the arena.

"If more pilots were as good as this young man, the repairmen would run out of business!" an announcement said over the loudspeakers. The crowd cheers in excitement. "Izzy has advanced to the third of the G ranking."

Two fairly large machines fly out, using poweful magnets to lift the wreck of the silver AC to the deployment area. Izzy's machine simply flies over to the narrow corridor, which quickly begins moving upwards to the shop hangar. Several minutes later, mechanics begin work on removing several parts, interior and exterior, from the machine.

"I've redesigned it as a larger machine using my money from the mission, and my arena matches today. I, err, hope it works out right, it should be perfect." Izzy says, watching large steel towers slide across the floor magnetically as the arms are removed and placed on them.

One of the mechanics in a group looks over a holographic monitor nearby, then turns to Izzy. "It'll take a bit of time, but it should be ready by tomorrow. It'll be a fine machine."

"Yeah, thanks."

"I watched one of your matches earlier today, you're quite a pilot. This should be a great asset to you in battle."

Izzy makes a silent grin, nods, and walks away, down to the cafeteria. After getting a simple slice of pizza, he sits down and watches another match on a monitor from his table. A large, tan man dressed in a camoflauge vest and white pants sits next to him, a hamburger nestled in his large hand. "You're Izzy, I take it...Pilot of that black mech that was in the last match?"

Izzy looks over from the monitor, taking a bit of his pizza before answering. "Yeah, that I am. And you are...?"

"Call me North. I was the pilot of that silver quad you just took out."

"Ah, I see. You're not here to try and threaten-"

North interrupts after a moment, "Nope, I came to congradulate you. We haven't seen a pilot like you in a long time. Seems like you can make it big-time, you know?"

Izzy chuckles for a moment, taking another bite of the pizza. "You think so, eh?"

"Yeah. Last guy who whooped me that bad got all the way to the second rank before he retired on his fortunes."

"What about the guy in rank one?"

"He's still the same. He's always been there, I guess, as long as anyone's known. He gets custom parts for everything, and the Arena comittee pays for it all as long as he rips a few people up every so-often."

"Tough fight, then, I guess."

"Yeah, got that right." After this, North takes a rather large bite out of the hamburger in his hand, watching another match on the monitor with Izzy. 


	6. Chapter 6

Scrolling through a list of deadly-sounding jobs to be done, seeming like a mafiosa message board, a hand guides its way to the statement, "Aide capture of military installation". Inside held various details about enemy forces, vital land areas, and more importantly the payment of a large sum of 50,000 credits. Tapping the "accept" button sets off a string of events for the young lad named Izzy, the usual preparations for a mission. After a meal, shower, and a few arena matchups watched, he sets off.

In the hangar, Izzy is greeted by a much larger version of his mech. The arms and chest thickened, the boosters had made dramatic changes to adapt, and the two arm weapons were replaced with larger copies, as well as thicker legs to support it. The thick black object trudged its way to the transport, which flung off into the distance before crashing into a red planet.

The door of the capsule-like transport flung off upon impact, the thick black legs nearly leaving craters as they stamped along the soft soil. Several lightweight assualt troop models greeted him. They were box-like designs with reverse-joint legs and dual machineguns at their sides. Mobile cannon-like objects took off to the air near them, aiming to the direction the AC faced.

"We'll attack as soon as you're ready." the army model said via intercom.

"Let's not waste any time." a voice returned. The black machine glid along the ground at incredible speeds past the peach-colored model after this, twin blue tails following it. After a short distance, the edge of a crater greeted him. The black machine took to the air, taking steady aim with its renovated energy rifle before firing three shimmering blue shots, each rippling through a dish-like structure and forcing it to the ground. A large number of the peach army models followed him, sliding down the sides of the crater as red trails flung them forward from their legs. Several computerized towers quickly took note of this, sending an alert signal throughout an underground structure before retaliating with barrages of missiles.

The black machine hammers into the ground far from the base, taking a quick glance in front of it before taking an inaccurate blade swing. The now green beam of the blade beguns to swing, but disconnects from the blade source as it moves, making a crescent-shaped shot fling forward, cutting two of the missile towers apart and sending their steel remains to the ground. Several explosions ring out as the fired missiles ram into the ground behind the AC, sending a cloud of red dust into the air. Two shots follow it, clearing the remains of the towers from the entrance.

A dimly lit horizontal shaft sits silently. At its top sits a closed door, consisting of two large steel plates. A few moments go by of silence, until a loud, sudden creak breaks the shaft in both sound and reality, an halloween nightmare of an orange and black machine ripping down through it guided by a green blade. The top of the shaft is left in pieces by the impact, hanging as if left on by nonexistant hinges.

"Up ahead you'll find the military hangar. There shouldn't be too many units active yet, but don't hang around. From there it's only a short trip down the left hall to the computer hull." a transmission crackles, the line growing silent afterwards. The mech slows as it approaches the large, metallic room. A dim red shining lights it from the warning lights, several towering inactive humanoids resting involuntarily near the sides of the room. A large blue door sticks out, shimmering a light blue. Izzy's AC makes its way to the door, illuminating the room for only a moment with its green blade before a quick punch with the left arm makes the door blow inwards towards a long hallway. A great blue flare grows from the back of the mech as it flings down the hallway, along a catwalk in another hangar, and then to a room where a single large pillar surrounded by a shining blue light stands. Several long-shafted guns attached to the roof don't take kindly to the entry, and begin firing large red shots at the orange panels on the mech.

Two blue beams follow the large machine as it slips to the side, returning fire to two of the grenade cannons on the roof. A repeat of this pattern disarms the last of them, and a third, seemingly random volley from the rifle ripples through the roof, a shower of sparks falling out after it. The well-lit room suddenly changes pitch, becoming a dark red, the blue central beam growing powerless. A single slash from the green shining blade rips the column from its position, flinging it into the wall before exploding in several places.

"Defences are disarmed. I hope that's all, I have a weird feeling about this place." Izzy says.

"You've done more than enough. Your return transport is waiting topside."

As the black machine walks towards the corridor, it takes a look back. Sparks shower from the ceiling, a dim red light shining throughout the area. "I guess it had to come to this...right?" he speaks to himself. In a corner of the room, an unassembled collection of deep red AC parts, among them sitting a strange-looking blade generator, a yellow color standing out among the rest. A single eye in the head turns on, a red light shimmering coldly for a few moments before it grows dead again.

"You did very well in the mission, so we're including a rather large bonus. None of our models were lost because of your amazing efforts." a voice says into the intercom. A plane-like ship approaches a hangar, dropping off the black AC, the pilot Izzy stepping out as well. His red hair drifts along the nonexistant wind as he heads back to his room for another day's well-earned rest. 


	7. Chapter 7

"You're sure you want to do this, Cedric?"

"Yeah, even though I probably won't win, I'll give it a shot."

"...Alright."

"May the best man win."

A hail of burning metal slams into the green forcefield beside Izzy's towering black mech. A frail-looking blue machine flings itself across the arena floor, adjusting its aim closer towards the black mech. Stripes of a lighter blue trail the wiry joints and hands of the machine. The black mech takes aim, stopping as the glowing metal stream approaches him from the side. A single burst of blue energy forces its way out of the gun, stopped by a small orange energy dome generated by the left arm of the blue being.

The bullet forces the blue mech back a bit before it flings forward, trailed by two green flames. Three missiles pour out of its back as it changes direction to the side, each met by a precise blue stream of energy from the rifle. Two rockets fly out of the back of the black machine as it takes to the air, readjusting its rifle before firing a shot from it as well, the three bullets making a spiralling triangle as they descend towards their target. The blue metal being hurls forward quickly, the rockets landing to its side with twin explosions, and the bullet slamming into the ground several feet before it. Another stream of bullets flings towards the black mech as the blue machine readjusts itself. A rifle shot flings out the rifle's barrel, and moments later, descends into the machinegun's, hurling the brass gun onto the ground far away. Several shots fling into the hard carapace of Izzy's AC, but leave miniscule amounts of damage. A green beam grows in the hand of the comet-like descending black being, which is met by an orange shield. The green beam pulls back for a moment, then slams back into its target, flinging Cedric's mech back. Another swing flings it back again, this time countered by two missiles. One of them flings off into the distance, later slamming into the green barrier, the other rips across the back of Izzy's mech, ripping the rocket launching device off.

The green beam of the black metal man pulls back, slipping into a horizontal position before making a precise jab into the device in the center of the orange dome, splitting the entire left arm in two unusable pieces and disarming the shield completely. The blue machine backs down, flinging backwards into the air and landing in the center of the arena, dodging two blue bullets in the process. The blue mech lands in a near-sideways position, regaining its stability moments later with the fallen machinegun in its hand. A purple beam appears behind the black mech, hurling it to the side of the blue machine, then changing direction and hurling it towards its target.

A hailstorm of bullets rams into the center of the black mech, ripping through the plates seconds before the left fist of the black mech ripples across the metal plates of the blue machine's right arm, pulling the entire structure off of its host. The black mech's left arm opens, grabbing the barrel of the now aerial machinegun and flipping it to fit the trigger into the dark left hand's trigger finger. A hail of bullets rips through the remains of the blue mech, the sparking mass falling onto the floor moments after its disembodied arm.

"We've never had any competitor make use of the opponent's weaponry like that before...but it took a bit. He didn't want to win, I think." a familiar young voice begins.

"Got any proof of this?" a deep voice returns.

"Well...We can clearly see Izzy is overriding the FCS' targetting system. It's not made to target missiles like that...And if he can hit missiles, there's no reason for him to miss such a large target that's hurling through the air. He also waited for a moment before disengaging the shield, his rifle was idle at that point. Finally, when he ripped the right arm off of his opponent, he didn't have the blade engaged. He could've swung that and ripped the machine to pieces in an instant."

"I see. So he's not a completely emotionless one either."

"No, but we can only wait and see where this takes us..."

The cafeteria is the normal place, yeilding the normal large number of monitors, with quite a few of them displaying the match Izzy was just in. It's an amazing view, where the sparks aren't showering on the cameras. Izzy sits down, his usual meal of pizza on a plate in front of him. Cedric soon joins, moving his robes out from underneath him before sitting across from Izzy, a meaty salad covered in an odd foreign dressing before him.

"I didn't realize you were pushing your way through the arena so fast." Izzy says, taking a chunk out of the pizza in front of him. Cedric nods, sticking a sharp fork into the leaves of his salad.

"Yeah, I've been pretty busy there. You're still as great a pilot as ever."

"I've been getting practice too."

North makes his way to the table, sitting down beside Izzy, a hamburger engulfed in his large paws. "That was a great match you guys just had." he says, glancing over at Cedric. "I don't suppose we've met. The name's North. I take it you're Cedric, the challenger of that match?"

"That's me." Cedric says, slipping a dripping glob of meat and leaves into his mouth.

North takes a bite out of his hamburger before speaking again. "There's a team tourney coming up, you know. Three people per team...I figured with our combined skill, there's no way we could lose!"

Izzy glances over towards North, swallowing the oily glob in his mouth. "I don't see a reason not to join...But what're the details?"

"You use your ACs, the matches will take place across a large amount of terrain stretching through space, Earth and Mars. Everyone can participate as long as they have a team, the qualifying rounds start tomorrow. You guys in?"

Cedric nods. "I'll go. It sounds fun."

Izzy takes a final bite out of his pizza, pushing the rest of it through his teeth and down his throat. "Alright then. I'm gonna go do a few modifications to my AC, can you sign us up, North?"

"Already done."

"Alri-...Hey, wait a minute..."

North stands up, his hamburger finished up already while he was talking. "Well, gotta go, see you guys later!"

"Well...I suppose I'll go do a few things to that machine. See you later, Cedric."

"Yeah, see you then." he says, taking another bite out of the salad. Izzy sprints off down the hall, bumping into a few people in the process and sending a few into the steel walls before he yanks someone out of the elevator and proceeds. 


	8. Chapter 8

"Head to the left. There should be an opening there that will lead you to the chamber on the next floor up." Cedric said through the intercom.  
A few loud trudges echoed through the arena. The preliminary rounds were already underway for the tourney. Sparks flew from underneath the feet of a towering black structure in a floating maze-like tower in the dark, open space. Gunshots echoed through the thin, green hallways.

"They call this arena Babel Tower. No wonder nobody ever climbed it, I can't even find the way to the next floor!" North said, angrily.  
Static filled the pilot's chamber. A screen to the left of Izzy's face was fixed for team messages, the cold images making the side of his face light up in the dark atmosphere. A slow walk to the next floor ended, a door slowly dragging itself slowly, as if regretful of its duties. The shining chamber glimmered, blinding Izzy for a moment before he took to the air, setting sights on a white AC standing on a protruding metal plate in the wall.

"Reverse joint. Rifle, missiles, and a laser cannon. Looks light." Izzy whispered to himself, a green burst of energy flying from the front of him. It slammed into the left side of the machine, sending a shoulder-mounted pod full of explosives to the ground far below it. A corner of it slammed the ground, sending the rod-like explosives into the air and filling it with blinding white trails. The biped flew out of the mist, a shimmering green light in its arm. Izzy held out his rifle, meeting it with the blade, causing sparks to fly from the two. The time slowed down, neither AC reacting, the blade digging slowly into the barrel of the rifle. More time passed, the white AC struggling to force the blade through quickly.

A green light split in the rifle. A weak burst flew through the end of the barrel, the rest slipping out of the slit cylinder and ramming into the core of the white AC. The light being's blade drifted to nothing, sparks from the core covering it as the mist from the missiles faded, the explosives still bursting in the air around them. The white machine slowly made its way to the ground, cold and lifeless.

"I managed to ruin my rifle, but one's down." Izzy said over the intercom. His voice echoed for a bit.

An announcement rang through the air. "Team 2 has been eliminated. Three remain."

Cedric's voice returned. "That's one down. Team 1 still has two ACs, and team four has all three. Me and North are hanging out two floors above you, waiting for them to kill eachother."

"I'm gonna head there, then. It might take a bit." The air grew silent and cold again.

A silver glint shone in a mirror in Cedric's cockpit. Gunshots erupted behind him, the blue build spinning around to get the full view of a green humanoid AC fighting a silver quad. The quad was sliding against the dark, green roof of the room on its head, firing off a long volley of machinegun bullets from both arms. They hailed into the bulky core of the green AC, whose shield engaged halfway through the hail. An orange blade appeared in its other arm as it dived into the air at the silver mech.The blade makes a shower of orange sparks as it meets the two franticly moved barrels of the quad.

"Damn! I didn't think anyone ever used those parrying blades!"

A missile poured out of the back of the silver AC and rammed into the thick head of the green one, pushing it back a bit. Another hail of bullets from behind the silver AC forced the green build out of balance, tumbling backwards. The two long barrels of the silver machineguns grappled the sides of the green mech like a pair of chopsticks, pulling it into the air to a 180 spin, slamming the head into the metal floor. The tower stood for a moment, then flopping backwards onto the ground with a loud crash.

"Bahah. What a panzy." North said, his machine slowly flipping itself around and landing calmly.

An explosion barreled into the green door, making an indent on the inside of it. A few shelling sounds and metallic echoes later, the annoucement returned. "Team one has been eliminated."

The door openned up, revealing a team of three grey ACs. A blue pile of sparks fell to the ground upon the door opening, the target of the shots. A short silence came as the two teams analyzed eachother. A grenade broke the silence from inside the door, flying past the gear of Cedric's head. A storm of bullets echoed from both sides, three shimmering, scattered beams of shining metal coming from inside the room to pummel the invaders. A blue laser shot out from the corridor, ending one of the streams from the silver mech. Another of the grey mechs moved out of the corridor, lifting a yellow beam while barreling through the air at North.

The stream of bullets from North's right arm ended as he positioned the arm in front of him, moving backwards a bit. The grey mech landed in front of the one-armed quad, still travelling at high speeds. North's AC jumped to the air, ramming the head of the grey AC with the machinegun barrel, forcing the machine flat onto the ground in front of the barrel. A stream of bullets disembodied the grey head, ending the short duel.

In another side of the room, Cedric stood, his shield tangent to an orange beam of his opponent. The grey AC lifted its energy rifle, taking a few shots at the shield.

"He's frying my energy reserves. I can't hold out very long." Cedric says.

The shield slipped away, a hail of bullets replacing it, pushing the grey opponent back a ways. Cedric moved his left arm, using the unoccupied hand to grapple onto the right arm of the grey AC. Another focussed stream of bullets slid the arm off at the elbow, a few mechanized flicks of the wrist bringing it around to fit snugly in the left arm. The grey AC balanced, slowly, and the orange beam returned to its remaining arm. Cedric's shield reactivated, covering the newly obtained gun. The two orange fields of energy met, the blue AC backing its legs a bit before his angle was perfect. The AC bolted forward, ramming its head into the chest of the grey one. A shot rang out from the laser rifle, ripping through the chest of the opponent.

A grenade rang out again, this time accurate enough to cut North's AC in half at the waist. The four legs fell to the ground slowly, each moving at high speed towards the bulky grey AC. The remaining bulk skidded slowly until it was stopped by a dark wall. A third grenade made its way past Cedric, and was returned by a quick bunch of machinegun rounds. The two glided towards eachother, the big mech making slow, heavy heaves with its red blade. Small bursts of machinegun rounds made small indents in the grey armor, the laser rifle doing little more than burning a part of it. A drawn-out battle followed, each heave pushing Cedric back farther in an attempt to dodge. Soon enough, the backing was met by resistance by a wall. Cedric dived to the side to avoid the beam, losing the right arm in the process. The blue metallic object slid to the ground, bouncing a bit before settling in a spot near the opposing corner. A lucky blue shot brang a stream of sparks to the beam's generator, a long grenade barrel then pushing its way into the front of the blue mech. An orange shield perked up, meeting the barrel at the tip. A loud crackle echoed around the room afterwards. The shield of the blue mech quickly bolted away from the barrel when the grenade shot out, as well as the rest of that arm. It came to a stop at another wall.

A soft ding echoed through the arena. Two metals touching, as well as a chiming echo through a cylinder. A green barrel took its place at the back of the grey mech's head. "Checkmate."

The barrel pulled back, a quick glint of green shining through the black machine. The grey machine took a step forward, but it failed. The left leg fell off as it moved, as well as the right arm. The head glided off and bounced along the floor as the rest divided itself on the floor.

"Victory by knockout. Team 3 has won this round of the preliminaries." the annoucement said. The lifeless bulk of five machines showed in a spark-covered floor as the lights engaged. 


	9. Chapter 9

An electric sensation rises through the crowds floating in space. The barrier of the arena slowly grows to meet the ceiling, each step met with a roar of excitement. "Today..." a deep voice begins, "Is the second round of the tournament preliminaries. Two teams start here, and only one will leave. Who will it be? It's a mystery. Let's begin the day of excitement!"

Six hatches open in the cold steel floor of the arena. A silver quad, two machineguns instead of arms, with two missile pods on its back. A blue jewel of a lightweight, a machinegun and shield occupying its arms. The towering dark machine that won the crowd's heart with its flawless victories and amazing laser rifle. On the opposing side, three more mechs sit. A lean, mean, green machine sits on one side, boasting a large bazooka and a poor laserblade to offset its weight. A ruby-colored gem sits across from it, resting heavily on its tank design with two grenade launchers, a rather large laser rifle, and a large laserblade accompanying it. In the back-center of the triangle formation sits a strange blue machine, the design shining like electricity. It holds a laser rifle and a large cannon on its medium build, as well as the traditional blade.

A bell echoes for a moment, breaking the roar of the crowds. Four of the machines dash forward at eachother, locked in a struggle of streams of sparks and barrages of bullets. The black machine and the electric blue design sit opposite eachother, their teamates battling off to the sides. Moments pass, the two separated battles shifting lightly in position, sometimes drifting into the air and dropping back down.

A loud crackle smacks into the ground of the arena. A bazooka shell lays still on it afterwards, the silver quad staring into the air with its parallel barrels pointing at a green machine in the air. Both of them release a storm of bullets, most of them missing their mark as the green mech plummets to the ground and charges, a red stream of energy behind it. The silver mech takes flight, spinning around as the green one passes below it. A hail of bullets dismantles the green boosters, the two objects dropping like rocks onto the magnetic ground. The green one turns, firing off a poorly aimed round at the gray blur. The gray machine speeds towards the green humanoid, ramming one barrel into its chest, a hailstorm of loose parts coming out opposite it. The emerald build falls to the ground, defeated.

A stream of white drifts off towards a red mech. A small object passes through a blue cyllinder, a large explosion following, breaking the grenade launcher at the base. Two pieces fall to the ground, leaving the red mech with a smoking shoulder where the cannon sat moments before. A blue streak drifts above the tank, landing behind it with a hail of missiles and bullets ramming into the armor of the ruby-colored rock. A barrel from one arm shifts up, taking a resting position upside-down on the shoulder. It sends out a large green beam, barely missing the blue mech and hurtling into a wall, making a ripple in the energy field. The blue machine dashes forward, dropping its machinegun and jumping over the red mech. It snatches the red right arm with both of its thin hands, two hatches opening in the back of the thin core. A large blue fire bursts out from the hatches, stopped quickly by a large green laserblade of the red mech. The blue machine falls to the ground in two pieces.

Two beams of a green light fly to the victorious mechs from opposing sides of the room. The two fall to the ground, smoking piles of metal. The two remaining machines hold smoking laser rifles. They burst towards eachother like comets, two towering beams of energy ramming eachother as they approach.

The black machine fires off a round of its laser rifle. The opposing mech moves like lightning, drifting to the side and firing off a round of its own. The dark tower of a machine deflects the bullet with a shimmering green blade. A quick move of the black arm sends a crescent-shaped green beam at the blue machine, which moves quickly, losing the large cannon on its back in the process, victim to the beam.

Another ripple swings itself around the forcefield, a missed laser rifle shot from the blue mech smacking into the field. The black mech slams into the ground, rebalancing, and sitting silently for a few moments moment. Two shots from the blue mech hammer into the armor, making large holes in the core. A third misses as the black being trudges forwards slightly, slowly bringing its rifle to aim at the blue machine.

The metal being lifts into the air, the rifle following it instinctively. A single green beam flows out of it, hammering the leg, followed quickly by another, and soon more, as if the bullets were chained like a machinegun's. Shots fling themselves out of the barrel, making their way up the blue mech, increasingly fast and deadly. The crowd moves to its feet, watching the beams quickly demolish the blue mech. Moments after its ascent, the blue machine rams into the ground with a complete lack of elegance. Half of a leg is still attached, the core filled with large smoldering craters stretching all of the way through. A wave of cheers flow from the outside of the forcefield.

The deep announcing voice returns to the arena. "Well, ladies and gentemen, it seems we have a stunning victory here for the pilot Izzy and comrades! In all my years at this job, I've never seen anything quite like what just happened today! The promising team has made it to the tournament, and may have a chance at making it to the top! Join us for the next matches as we watch the stunning conclusions of the matches!"

There may have been more, but the rest of the announcer's voice was lost in a wave of cheers, yells, and voices. Several aerial machines float out, using powerful magnets to pull the wreckages of the ACs into the repair docks. 


	10. Chapter 10

A blue glow seeped across a dark, red-carpetted room. A wooden desk sat in the center, a marvelous and most likely extremely expensive piece of furniture. Atop the desk sat a small computer, a laptop, showing various wireframes and blueprints of mechs across the wide screen. The lights flickerred on, revealing a large man staring across the screen, confused and a bit concerned. A man in a white suite complemented by blonde hair stands at the oak door.

"Still here? You never seem to leave that desk, you know." the young man says, closing the door softly. He walks across the smooth carpet and around the desk, taking a glance at the monitor.

The large man turns to face his guest, then speaking. "Indeed, but we have more to think about than how I spend my days."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Take a look at the clip of yesterday's fight in the tourney."

The screen slowly turns to black at the click of a mouse. It reappears in steely colors, a green field flashing slowly in the background. A black, orange-accented humanoid machine stands in the center, a grey-colored rifle drifting up to follow an off-screen object. A volley of energy fire pours out of the barrel, slow shots at first, increasing in speed until a large blue object rams into the ground and skids towards the screen, which changes to static soon after.

"I saw the match in-person. It's quite amazing what he did there."

"I would think he'd overheat a few circuits and ruin some parts in the process of doing something like that. The safeguards are there for a reason."

The young man smirks. "I had the mechanics take a look at the weapon he used. Apparently, the beams were very concentrated and barely touched the barrel on their way out. I'm not sure how he managed it, though."

"Well, whatever the case, something like this isn't seen every day...or at all, save for this event. I think we might have made a mistake in taking this one on."

"We still haven't seen where he's taking his talents, though. This could be useful."

A blue-tinted silver hallway shines with reflecting lights from a high ceiling. A red-haired youth lays on a bench, staring into the white lights on the roof. Another in red robes walks to him, holding a few pieces of paper.

"I want you to take a look at the bracket for the tournament." Cedric says, handing one of the papers to Izzy. Izzy moves his feet to the ground and looks at it for a few moments, whilst Cedric sits down beside him.

"Well, isn't that convinient? Is this randomized?" Izzy asks, looking back at Cedric.

"Apparently, it was composed by rank. Looking at the paired teams, they seem to be about the same in position on the arena rankings...except our match. We're up against the 'Sons of Sky and Heaven', the highest ranking team on the list."

"Looking at all the other teams, if we can beat these guys, the rest should be easy."

Cedric sighs. "It's not that easy, though. If we don't win, we'll be wiped out right at the start and they'll take the cup from there."

"I guess so...but, still, I think we can make it. Have you showed this to North yet?"

"No, I haven't seen him...I suppose he'll find out later." Cedric stands, and slowly sifts his way through a crowd at the elevators. Izzy returns to his laying position on the steel bench.

A loud announcement echoes across the arena, teeming with spectators at every side. "Tonight!" it begins, "Tonight we watch the spectacular first match of the evening, the true beginning of this grand-scale event! On one side, the Sons of Sky and Heaven, lead by the crowd favorite Zenshin!"

A hatch in the shining steel floor opens, revealing a thin-framed AC with a sleek, smooth build, no doubt custom-made and very expensive. A shining red blade ripples out of one arm, waving about with the left arm, signalling a wave of cheers from the crowd. The blade dissapears into the shining mech again. The second arm holds a claw-like structure with two thick barrels, fit for high-explosive rounds. Two undistinguishable large barrels sit parallel on its back. The mech grows still as the annoucements begin again.

"His teamates are the long-shot Eagle, in his signature white mech..."

A towering white structure comes out from the floor beside Zenshin's blue design. In its hand is a long-barreled laser rifle, as well as two large vertical missile-launching devices, also sitting parallel.

"...and the thick punisher Bronzeman!"

A dull golden-colored mech comes out from a third hatch in the floor, sitting on one thick knee. Two red eyes light up in the metal head, and the wide being pulls itself to both feet, brandishing a large bazooka and three-pronged laserblade device. Two powerful-looking rocket barrels sit on his back.

"The opposing team is made of three promising individuals. The amazing Izzy leads this group, and may just be the key to victory for the Avatar team."

Izzy's black tower of a machine rises to the stage, brandishing its usual green laserblade and signature laser rifle to match. The crowd makes a cheer of approval for him, watching the mech power up its green beam, which breaks off in mid-swing and sends shockwaves of energy through the air.

"The second member of this party is the native Cedric in his Soul Tower mech."

Cedric's blue mech rises with the crowd's applause. His shield activates breifly, sending a small orange shockwave around.

"And the gunner North, with his red demon of a machine."

North's red quad rises as well, eager to begin the match. The twin barrels of the machinegun arms begin boxing in the air.

"The match will begin in only a few moments...Be prepared." 


End file.
